Goshen's McGrath puts team first

GOSHEN — Last Monday, senior Ryan McGrath received word from Goshen coach Ed Killenberger that he was getting the hook, he was no longer the starting quarterback.

JUSTIN RODRIGUEZ

GOSHEN — Last Monday, senior Ryan McGrath received word from Goshen coach Ed Killenberger that he was getting the hook, he was no longer the starting quarterback.

As per Killenberger's call, sophomore Griffin DeClerck would be the new starter. McGrath was moved to defensive back — a position he played previously. Sure, McGrath was frustrated and disappointed, but he didn't want to cause any discontent on a team seeking its first win.

After struggling under center, McGrath had an impressive debut in the secondary. His interception with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Lucas Graves with 48.6 seconds left to give Goshen a 19-12 come-from-behind win over Monticello in a Section 9 Class A game on Saturday.

DeClerck set up Graves' score with a 20-yard run.

"As long as I'm playing, I'm happy," McGrath said. "It doesn't matter if it's quarterback or cornerback. The whole game I was just thinking that one mistake would change everything. That's what happened. I'm just happy I helped my team."

With Cornwall, Wallkill and Roosevelt expected to take the top-three playoff spots in Class A, Saturday served as a must-win for Goshen and Monticello. Four teams make the postseason. Port Jervis and Saugerties — the only other two teams in the division — are also in the mix for the last spot.

Goshen (1-2, 1-1 Class A) looked cooked early on. Monticello (0-3, 0-2 Class A) took a 6-0 lead on an 8-yard pass from John Harned to London Gandy with 3:37 left in the first quarter. The Panthers went up 12-0 when Terry Duncan hit the end zone on a 44-yard run on the first play of the second quarter.

However, Varick Ward scored on the ensuing kickoff, racing 80 yards, to pull Goshen within 12-7. The Gladiators added a safety and Debo Fortuna hit a 20-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the first half to tie the game 12-12.

With the game seemingly headed to overtime, McGrath intercepted a Harned pass to give Goshen the ball at Monticello's 35-yard line. Harned had been shaken up by a hard McGrath hit to his collarbone near the Monticello sideline on the previous series.

He was motionless for about a minute and appeared dazed when he reached his feet. However, after being examined by paramedics, Harned was cleared to return after missing a play.

Four plays after McGrath's interception, Graves reached the end zone for the game-winning run. He picked off a Harned pass, off a deflection, to seal the win with 35.9 seconds remaining.

"It was nothing but hard work and family to get us that win," said Graves, who rushed for 138 yards. "To get us over that adversity. To have that touchdown and interception is a memory for a lifetime. I'm never going to forget it. I have goose bumps."